Is the Executive Assessment (EA) easier than the GMAT?

The answer to this question is yes. The Executive Assessment is shorter. It is not computer-adaptive at question level, as the GMAT is. If you get a question right on the GMAT, the next one gets harder. On the Executive Assessment, the questions are grouped into modules of 6-7 questions. Your score on a whole module is assessed and that determines the difficulty level of the next module. It is believed that EA questions are generally easier than GMAT questions.

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What is the Executive Assessment (EA)?

The Executive Assessment is an exam that allows you to gain entry to an Executive MBA program. It’s sometimes colloquially referred to as GMAT-lite. The GMAT is the exam that full-time MBA candidates and some other Masters applicants take.

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Executive Assessment (EA) structure

The EA has three equally-weighted sections - integrated reasoning, verbal and quantitative. Each section takes 30 minutes. 

Integrated Reasoning

The integrated reasoning section combines mathematical and English skills. You have to assess graphs and charts, and answer questions, sometimes with the options appearing in drop-down menus. The good news about this section is that using a calculator is allowed.

Verbal

The verbal section tests your ability in English. There are three parts to the verbal section: reading comprehension, critical reasoning and sentence correction.  Reading comprehension, as the name suggests, requires you to read a text and answer questions about it. Critical reasoning asks you to read a shorter text, perhaps three or four sentences, and answer a logical question after that. Sentence correction tests your understanding of grammar. You are given a sentence that may or may not be correct. There are five options to choose from. If you think the sentence is correct, choose option A, which is always exactly the same as the sentence is written. If you think the sentence has a mistake, there are four other options to choose from.

Quantitative

There are two types of question on the quantitative section – problem solving and data sufficiency. Problem solving is straightforward multiple-choice. You are asked a question, you have five possible answers and you choose the right one. Data sufficiency asks you a question and then gives you two pieces of information. You are asked to determine whether you can answer the question using these two pieces of information. Unfortunately, calculator use is not allowed in this section.

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What’s the fastest way to success on the Executive Assessment?

Prepare for the Executive Assessment with our EA and GMAT expert at nativespeakers.ch and see how quickly you can make progress. If you are a busy executive, you will have little spare time to study for exams, and our job is to save you time by reducing your preparation time.

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